The Railway Children runs at the Bear Pit Theatre, Stratford, until 15th December

Incredible costumes, stunning sets and a huge cast of 30 are promised as uplifting show The Railway Children comes to the Bear Pit, Stratford.

The show runs until 15th December and is directed by Emily Myerscough, who has previous brought the Roald Dahl classics The Twits and James and the Giant Peach to life at the theatre.

“On stage there's about 30 people, with the children are split into two groups,” explains Emily.

A teacher at Princethorpe, it was a previous dalliance with The Railway Children that inspired Emily to bring it to Stratford.

“Around six years ago I directed the musical version of The Railway Children at a school I was teaching at and I really enjoyed it and the music and I wanted to do the same play but with a different challenge, so I thought we’ll take the music away and try more of the sort of strange play idea.”

Edith Nesbit wrote The Railway Children in1906 and has inspired various manifestations over the years. A famous film version came out in1970, starring Jenny Agutter; a stage musical was performed in 2005; and Mike Kenny wrote an adaptation in 2008 - and it’s this latter version, which features a train on stage, that is steaming into Stratford.

“I just thought well what a lovely challenge to bring it into our wonderful small theatre and see what we can do, what magic we can create,” says Emily.

“It's been a wonderful undertaking, casting the children and having the different groups has been interesting but it's been wonderful having everyone in the rehearsal room at one time because everyone's been really supportive of each other, helping each other learn lines, remembering where they're meant to be going at different points, so it's been a fantastic experience.”

Emily adds: “It's a wonderful story and a true English classic that appeals to all ages. I’m very excited for audiences to see what we've created.”

Tickets have almost sold out for many shows, so don’t miss the train and book now at https://www.thebearpit.org.uk.